Upwelling Chills the Central Coast: Rockfish and Halibut in Focus

What's Biting

What's Next

The sustained northwest winds recorded across all three NOAA buoys, running 9 to 12 m/s, suggest the current upwelling pulse will persist through at least the near term. When upwelling is active, surface temperatures can remain suppressed for days to a week or more along exposed stretches of coastline between Point Reyes and Point Conception. If those northwest winds ease even modestly, a brief relaxation event could allow nearshore water to warm 3-5°F within 24 hours, which sometimes triggers a short window of improved halibut and lingcod activity as baitfish move into the slackened current.

For the weekend, rockfish remain the safest target up and down the coast. The 51-53°F readings at the northern stations (buoys 46026 and 46042) favor species like vermilion, canary, and black rockfish holding tight to rocky pinnacles and kelp edges in 60-200 feet. Bottomfishing with cut squid or sardine on circle hooks, or working 4-6 oz. jigs in white or chartreuse, remains a reliable approach when bait is available. Lingcod are typically mixed in on the same structure, and heavier gear with larger profile baits increases hookup rates on the bigger fish.

Halibut anglers should focus attention toward the warmer southern end of the dataset, near Point Conception, where buoy 46028 recorded 59°F. The temperature edge between upwelled and ambient water tends to concentrate prey fish, and drifting live anchovies or sardines over clean sandy bottom in 20-60 feet is the standard play. The waning crescent moon this week means lower tidal exchange and reduced current: generally a moderate-to-neutral influence on halibut fishing, though stronger tidal movement around new and full moon phases typically produces more active bites.

Albacore and other warm-water pelagics remain a wait-and-see proposition through at least early next week. The 51-53°F readings need to climb at minimum 10-12 degrees before tuna push close enough inshore to target from day boats. Per Western Outdoor News (Saltwater), charter operators out of San Diego are already positioning for El Niño-driven warm water by late June, suggesting the warm-water front that can push albacore within reach of Central Coast day boats may arrive earlier than usual this season. Until that transition materializes, staying nearshore on structure is the practical call.

Context

June is historically a transitional month for the Central Coast, marked by the intensification of the North Pacific High and the resulting northwest wind pattern that drives California's characteristic summer upwelling. Water temperatures in the 51-59°F range are consistent with, or slightly on the cool side of, typical early-June readings for this stretch of coastline. In strong upwelling years, surface temps at Monterey Bay can dip into the upper 40s°F by late June before a thermal relaxation event briefly warms things up. The 53°F reading at buoy 46042 on June 10 suggests the upwelling cycle is running at a normal seasonal pace, not an unusually cold or warm start to the summer.

Rockfish seasons on the Central Coast typically open in spring and offer solid fishing through early fall, with nearshore species active throughout the summer upwelling period. Lingcod follow a similar pattern, though anglers should verify current California regulations for any depth or area restrictions in effect. California halibut peak activity in many Central Coast areas runs from May through August, making right now a seasonally appropriate window to target them in the bays and sandy shallows, even with cold upwelled water pressing inshore.

The El Niño signal anticipated by Western Outdoor News (Saltwater) for late June and early July has historical precedent worth noting. In confirmed El Niño years, warmer-than-average Pacific surface temperatures have pushed albacore, yellowtail, and occasionally yellowfin closer to the Central Coast than in neutral or La Niña years. If that warm front materializes as forecast, the transition from a structure-focused nearshore fishery to a mixed nearshore-pelagic season could arrive before the Fourth of July, rather than mid-July or later as in cooler years. No specific angler-reported comparisons to prior years were available in this week's feeds for the Central Coast region.